Kung Fu Panda: A Lesson on Mentoring
I FINALLY watched Kung Fu Panda with my kids the other night. I'd heard it was great, but now I know why. This movie teaches a great lesson for mothers! This is the message I got on how to be a true mentor for your children:
It's so easy to look at our children sometimes and wonder if they're ever going to learn what we're trying to teach them. Just like Master Shifu, we try to teach our children the only way we know how. We think we need to shape them into the perfect "kung fu masters" the way we did or according to our ideal training plan. We look at their weaknesses and think, "What am I going to do?" or "Why don't they get what I'm trying to teach them?"
Master Shifu went to his higher master (we all have one of those!) asking for help, for guidance. What was he told? "Promise me you will believe." Wow! That promise then caused Shifu to look inward, not only for himself but also for Po, the Panda. He forced himself to believe, and then had to figure out a way for Po to believe it himself.
Shifu needed to discover Po's inner genius. What really drove Po to be successful? Food. That was the motivator, the inner strength that others had seen only as a weakness beforehand. This made me want to look at my children with different eyes. What are their motivators? Do I view their characteristics as weaknesses or can I better use their attributes to lead them to greatness? My husband is known to say, "We spend their childhood trying to beat out of them the characteristics that will make them great adults."
In the end, Po learned to love himself for who he was. Why? Because he'd had a mentor who believed in him all along the way. Can I be that kind of mentor for my children? I accept the challenge to make it happen!
Having the ability to find the inner genius of your child so that you can teach them to believe in themselves.
It's so easy to look at our children sometimes and wonder if they're ever going to learn what we're trying to teach them. Just like Master Shifu, we try to teach our children the only way we know how. We think we need to shape them into the perfect "kung fu masters" the way we did or according to our ideal training plan. We look at their weaknesses and think, "What am I going to do?" or "Why don't they get what I'm trying to teach them?"
Master Shifu went to his higher master (we all have one of those!) asking for help, for guidance. What was he told? "Promise me you will believe." Wow! That promise then caused Shifu to look inward, not only for himself but also for Po, the Panda. He forced himself to believe, and then had to figure out a way for Po to believe it himself.
Shifu needed to discover Po's inner genius. What really drove Po to be successful? Food. That was the motivator, the inner strength that others had seen only as a weakness beforehand. This made me want to look at my children with different eyes. What are their motivators? Do I view their characteristics as weaknesses or can I better use their attributes to lead them to greatness? My husband is known to say, "We spend their childhood trying to beat out of them the characteristics that will make them great adults."
In the end, Po learned to love himself for who he was. Why? Because he'd had a mentor who believed in him all along the way. Can I be that kind of mentor for my children? I accept the challenge to make it happen!
Wow! Thats a lot to think about... and to be inspired by... AND aspire to!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)